Lantern Delights was born of frustration and inspiration.
A few years ago, John Panella became frustrated by the limitations of the decorative Moorish lanterns he would see in boutiques and galleries. For one thing, they were expensive. For another, even though the lanterns were modeled on candle lanterns, they were often designed for indoor use only. Some were even electric! So John began shopping for garden lanterns designed to be sturdy enough for outdoor use, yet attractive enough to be displayed indoors. Unfortunately, as intrigued as he was by the shapes and forms of outdoor candle lanterns, he was often disappointed by the lack of colors and artistic quality.
Then came the inspiration—John decided to create his own versatile pieces of portable art at reasonable prices. Trial and error yielded a prototype candle lantern that was rich in color, detailed with patterns and weather resistant. Even more exciting was that the prototype lantern was created by adapting a front-door lantern found at a salvage yard and using inexpensive specialty paints from an art supply store.
John's candle lanterns come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the materials used to create them vary from the ordinary (wood, plain glass, tin) to the extraordinary (precious metals, stained glass and jewels). The end result is a weather- resistant candle lantern that has depth to its color, usable inside your home as well as outdoors on a deck, patio or even in your garden.
UPDATE - John now designs and hand paints Votive candle holders. Perfect for gifts and mood lighting.
To view more samples of John's lantern delights, visit the Lantern Delights gallery.
